If your house feels louder, wilder, and somehow smaller during winter… you’re not imagining it.
The couch is a trampoline.
The hallway is a racetrack.
Your child has asked for a snack 14 times and still can’t sit still.
Welcome to The Winter Wiggle Problem — something almost every parent deals with, but hardly anyone explains. 💛
In warmer months, kids naturally move:
Playground time 🛝
Walks and bike rides 🚲
Running around outside until dinner 🍃
Winter takes all of that away — especially here in Colorado ❄️ — but kids’ need to move doesn’t disappear.
So what happens?
That energy has nowhere to go…
👉 and it comes out as:
“Not listening”
Meltdowns
Bouncing off furniture
Endless noise
Constant movement
And parents are left thinking:
Why can’t they just calm down?
Here’s the truth 👇
They don’t need to calm down — they need to move.
We’re told to:
Sit still
Use inside voices
Calm our bodies
But kids’ nervous systems regulate through movement, especially when routines are disrupted and daylight is limited.
Winter kids aren’t “bad.”
They’re under-moved.
And asking an under-moved child to be calm is like asking a shaken soda not to fizz. 🥤💥
Here it is. The thing no one tells you:
Not a workout.
Not a class.
Not a Pinterest-level setup.
Just:
5–15 minutes
Indoors
Silly > structured
That’s it.
✨ Freeze dance before dinner
✨ Animal walks down the hallway
✨ Balloon volleyball
✨ Jumping jacks during commercial breaks
✨ A “wiggle break” between activities
No prep.
No equipment.
No perfection.
Just movement.
Parents are often shocked by what happens next:
✔️ Better focus
✔️ Fewer meltdowns
✔️ Calmer transitions
✔️ Easier bedtimes
✔️ Less yelling (from everyone)
Movement doesn’t hype kids up — it helps their bodies settle.
You’re not failing.
Your kid isn’t out of control.
Winter is just doing what winter does.
Instead of fighting the wiggles…
invite them in.
Let kids move on purpose — so they don’t have to move against you.
A little movement goes a long way. ❄️🐝
Does winter turn your house into a jungle gym too?
Comment ❄️ “WIGGLES” if this feels familiar — and tag a parent who needs to read this today 💛